adminPARIS. – Neymar will be denied an immediate return to Barcelona when the Champions League soccer draw is made in Monaco today.
Both his Paris Saint-Germain team and the Catalan giants he left earlier this month for a world record 222 million euros ($264m) have been placed in pot two – amongst the second seeds.
Reigning champions and Spanish title-holders Real Madrid head the pot of top seeds – the champions from the eight highest-ranked countries in the UEFA rankings.
England’s Chelsea, Germans Bayern Munich, Monaco of France’s Ligue 1, Portuguese giants Benfica, Serie A champions Juventus, Russians Spartak Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine make up the rest of pot one.
But if anything, pot two looks even stronger with both Manchester clubs, Borussia Dormtund, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Porto in alongside PSG and Barca. Dangerous sides including Tottenham Hotspur and Italian pair Napoli and Roma lurk in pot three, with Liverpool potentially joining them if they get past Hoffenheim on Wednesday evening. – AFP.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter